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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

My intense love for candy, cakes, and everything in between started as a child. I simply couldn't go one day without something sweet to eat. But my love for all things sweet took a toll on my teeth. My dentist diagnosed me with seven cavities, each one a different size and depth. After sitting through four long dental appointments, I decided to make a change. I now monitor my diet and only eat things that benefit my oral health. I'm here to help you take better care of your teeth. My blog offers tips on how to improve your diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and many other topics. Hopefully, you can learn to overcome your bad habits just as I did. Good luck with your future dental health.

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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

Three Congenital Dental Disorders To Watch For In Your Child

by Eric Bailey

When most people think of dental problems, they think of issues such as tooth decay and tooth abscesses, which are not present when a person is born, but rather develop later in life. Some dental problems are congenital, which means that they are present at birth. Though these dental problems may not be obvious until a child is a few months or years old, they are genetically based, and nothing you do as a parent can prevent them from showing up.

There are many different congenital dental problems, and if you ever think something about your child's teeth or mouth appears abnormal, you should not hesitate to contact your dentist or physician. Here's a look at three of the most common congenital dental disorders and their symptoms, so you know specifically when to look for in your child, and what to expect if he or she is diagnosed with one of these abnormalities.

Hypodontia

This is a genetic condition in which a child is born without some of his or her adult teeth. The child generally has normal baby teeth, but once these teeth fall out, there are no adult teeth to replace them. Sometimes, a child may simply not lose his or her baby teeth, since there are no adult teeth above them to push them out. Usually, children with hypondontia are missing just one or two teeth, though there are rare cases in which more are missing.

You won't generally know that your child has hypodontia until he or she reaches school age. If your child loses a baby tooth or several baby teeth and new teeth don't erupt in their place within a few weeks, you should call your dentist. He or she can take x-rays to determine if your child has hypodontia.

If your child is diagnosed with hypondontia, do not panic. Today's advanced dental implant procedures make it easy for dentists to insert permanent, false teeth into your child's mouth in place of the real teeth that are missing. Implants generally last a lifetime, and once they're in place, no one except for a dentist will be able to tell the difference between the implants and natural teeth.

Dentinogenesis Imperfecta

This rare genetic disorder only affects about 1 in every 6,000 – 8,000 people. Sometimes it affects both the baby and adult teeth, and other times only the adult teeth are affected. That means you should be on the lookout for signs of dentinogenesis imperfecta when your child's baby teeth erupt, and when the adult teeth erupt.

Dentinogenesis imperfecta causes the tooth enamel to form incompletely. This causes the teeth to take on a bluish or yellowing tint. These teeth are also more prone to wear, breakage and cavities since their enamel is not strong.

Don't hesitate to contact your dentist if you think your child may have this condition. The standard treatment it to cover teeth with caps so that they don't become damaged, and the sooner this is done, the greater your child's chance of keeping his or her natural teeth. If the teeth do become so weak that they fall out or must be removed, they will generally be replaced with dental implants.

Supernumerary Teeth

This condition is generally diagnosed when children reach school age and the adult teeth start to erupt. Supernumerary teeth are extra adult teeth. Sometimes they erupt between the normal teeth, and other times they erupt in front or behind them. In rare cases, they may even erupt sideways out of the gums.

Supernumerary teeth can cause a number of problems if left in the mouth. They can crowd out the other teeth, making it difficult for a person to chew and destroying the look of the smile. They can cause pain and even lead to infection if they make it hard to brush and clean the teeth. Luckily, dentists can easily pull supernumerary teeth and prevent these problems.

It's never pleasant to find out that your child has a genetic abnormality, but the good news about all of the disorders above is that they're relatively harmless and easy to treat. Seek treatment promptly, and by the time your child reaches young adulthood, he or she should have a normal smile and no lingering side effects.

For more information, contact a local dentist or visit http://accentdentalnwi.com/.

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